Last update: Oct 2026

Cost of Living Comparison Between Seattle, WA and Ashburn, VA

For one person, living is cheaper in Ashburn, VA: $3,317 a month against $3,785 in Seattle, WA, rent and utilities included – about $5,600 less a year. Rent and utilities account for most of the difference.

184

Cost of Living Index in Seattle, WA
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Seattle, WA Living Index
160

Cost of Living Index in Ashburn, VA
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Ashburn, VA Living Index

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Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,785

/mo nomad

Ashburn, VA

🇺🇸 United States

$3,317

/mo nomad

Monthly Cost of Living

How much you'll spend in Seattle, WA and in Ashburn, VA

Real prices from locals and on-the-ground checks – rent, groceries, transit and the daily extras. Here's what a month in Seattle, WA and in Ashburn, VA actually costs, broken down by who's living it.

Monthly costs for one person with rent: $3,785 in Seattle, WA versus $3,317 in Ashburn, VA.

Seattle, WA $3,785
Ashburn, VA $3,317

Estimated couple costs with rent: $5,688 in Seattle, WA versus $4,512 in Ashburn, VA.

Seattle, WA $5,688
Ashburn, VA $4,512

Monthly costs for a family of three with rent: $7,592 in Seattle, WA versus $5,708 in Ashburn, VA.

Seattle, WA $7,592
Ashburn, VA $5,708

Living in Seattle, WA is roughly 14% more expensive than in Ashburn, VA, and outside of rent the biggest gap is in groceries.

Both cities are pricier than the global median: Seattle, WA 178% above, Ashburn, VA 144% above.

Meal at Budget Restaurant

$25.30 $25.30

$24.82 $24.82

1.93%

Three-Course Dinner for Two, Mid-Range

$101 $101

$90.2 $90.2

11.90%

Fast Food Meal (McDonalds, etc)

$14.76 $14.76

$12.86 $12.86

14.77%

Cappuccino

$6.50 $6.50

$6.06 $6.06

7.26%

Coke/Pepsi/Fanta/Sprite (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.21 $3.21

$2.97 $2.97

8.08%

Water (0.33 liter bottle)

$3.14 $3.14

$2.57 $2.57

22.18%

Local Beer (0.5 liter draught)

$7.97 $7.97

$8.07 $8.07

-1.24%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$8.13 $8.13

$9.93 $9.93

-18.13%

Milk (1 liter)

$1.17 $1.17

$1.18 $1.18

-0.85%

White Bread (500g)

$5.30 $5.30

$4.01 $4.01

32.17%

Rice (white) (1kg)

$6.40 $6.40

$5.31 $5.31

20.53%

Eggs

$5.06 $5.06

$5.53 $5.53

-8.50%

Local Cheese (1kg)

$18.71 $18.71

$17.28 $17.28

8.28%

Chicken Fillets (1kg)

$18.72 $18.72

$15.58 $15.58

20.15%

Beef Round Steak (1kg)

$22.88 $22.88

$18.85 $18.85

21.38%

Apples (1kg)

$6.06 $6.06

$5.40 $5.40

12.22%

Banana (1kg)

$1.95 $1.95

$2.35 $2.35

-17.02%

Oranges (1kg)

$5.51 $5.51

$6.43 $6.43

-14.31%

Tomato (1kg)

$6.52 $6.52

$5.88 $5.88

10.88%

Potato (1kg)

$3.49 $3.49

$2.83 $2.83

23.32%

Onion (1kg)

$3.29 $3.29

$3.76 $3.76

-12.50%

Lettuce (1 head)

$2.80 $2.80

$2.40 $2.40

16.67%

Water (1.5 liter bottle)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.73 $2.73

-5.49%

Cigarettes 20 Pack (Marlboro, Camel)

$12.49 $12.49

$9.64 $9.64

29.56%

Wine (Bottle)

$14.87 $14.87

$15.74 $15.74

-5.53%

Local Beer (0.5 liter bottle)

$4.19 $4.19

$2.25 $2.25

86.22%

Imported Beer (0.33 liter bottle)

$5.80 $5.80

$4.56 $4.56

27.19%

One-way Ticket (Public Transport)

$3.05 $3.05

$2.30 $2.30

32.61%

Public Transport Monthly Pass (Regular Price)

$106 $106

$70.7 $70.7

49.76%

Taxi Start (Normal Tariff)

$2.58 $2.58

$2.91 $2.91

-11.34%

Taxi (Normal Tariff) (1km)

$1.64 $1.64

$1.48 $1.48

10.81%

Taxi 1hour Waiting (Normal Tariff)

$30.12 $30.12

$22.07 $22.07

36.47%

Gasoline (1 liter)

$1.41 $1.41

$1.01 $1.01

39.60%

Midsize Hatchback 1.4l (Volkswagen Golf, Toyota Prius, Honda Civic, etc)

$36.8K $36.8K

$35.5K $35.5K

3.66%

Compact Sedan 1.6l (Toyota Corolla, Mazda3, Kia K4, Hyundai Elantra, etc)

$26.6K $26.6K

$25.4K $25.4K

4.76%

Utilities for 2 People in 2-bedroom Apartment (Heating, Electricity, Gas, Water, Garbage) (85m2)

$308 $308

$165 $165

86.59%

SIM Card Monthly Plan (Calls and 10GB+ Data)

$69.2 $69.2

$66.5 $66.5

4.02%

Internet (50+ Mbps, Unlimited Data)

$86.1 $86.1

$78.0 $78.0

10.26%

Gym Membership (Monthly)

$76.5 $76.5

$61.1 $61.1

25.23%

Tennis Court (1 Hour on Weekend)

$35.50 $35.50

$11.98 $11.98

196.33%

Cinema Ticket

$18.02 $18.02

$18.19 $18.19

-0.93%

Preschool or Kindergarten, Full Day, Private, 1 Child (Monthly)

$2,746 $2,746

$1,610 $1,610

70.58%

International Primary School, 1 Child (Yearly)

$30.6K $30.6K

$32.7K $32.7K

-6.42%

Jeans (Levis 501 Or Similar)

$79.2 $79.2

$53.8 $53.8

47.20%

Summer Dress (H&M, Zara, etc)

$54.3 $54.3

$43.28 $43.28

25.49%

Sport Shoes (Adidas, Nike)

$127 $127

$99.5 $99.5

27.47%

Men's Leather Business Shoes

$159 $159

$124 $124

28.54%

1-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$2,508 $2,508

$2,010 $2,010

24.77%

1-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$1,938 $1,938

$1,795 $1,795

7.98%

3-bedroom Apartment, City Center (Monthly)

$5,117 $5,117

$4,037 $4,037

26.76%

3-bedroom Apartment, Outside City Center (Monthly)

$3,542 $3,542

$2,250 $2,250

57.42%

Buy Apartment in City Center (m2)

$7,374 $7,374

$2,996 $2,996

146.12%

Buy Apartment Outside City Center (m2)

$5,002 $5,002

$3,103 $3,103

61.19%

Average Monthly Net Salary (After Tax)

$6,470 $6,470

$7,539 $7,539

-14.18%

20-Year Fixed Mortgage Interest Rate (Annual %)

6.89

6.82

1.03%

CityCost data is based on AI and user input – minor inaccuracies may occur.

Last update for Seattle, WA: October 26, 2026

Last update for Ashburn, VA: October 27, 2026

Monthly budget structure

Share of the monthly basket for one person, rent included.

Accommodation & Living

Seattle, WA

$1.9K 51.2%

Ashburn, VA

$1.8K 54.1% 7.4% $143

Groceries & Markets

Seattle, WA

$547 14.5%

Ashburn, VA

$488 14.7% 10.8% $59

Monthly Utilities & Internet

Seattle, WA

$463 12.2%

Ashburn, VA

$309 9.3% 33.1% $153

Eating Out

Seattle, WA

$406 10.7%

Ashburn, VA

$392 11.8% 3.5% $14

Clothing & Footwear

Seattle, WA

$189 5%

Ashburn, VA

$144 4.3% 23.6% $45

Getting Around

Seattle, WA

$129 3.4%

Ashburn, VA

$90 2.7% 30% $39

Sport & Entertainment

Seattle, WA

$112 3%

Ashburn, VA

$97 2.9% 13.4% $15

Cost Breakdown

A one-bedroom apartment in the center runs $2,508 in Seattle, WA and $2,010 in Ashburn, VA. Housing cost is often the main lever when comparing two cities.

Ashburn, VA pays 17% more on average while also being the cheaper of the two. The combined effect is a noticeably stronger local purchasing power.

Dining out: $101 in Seattle, WA vs $90 in Ashburn, VA for a mid-range dinner for two. Groceries echo the gap at $547 vs $488 per month, with Ashburn, VA cheaper across the board.

Good to know

🇺🇸 Seattle, WA

🇺🇸 Ashburn, VA

🕒 Local time

10:48 10:48 AM

13:48 1:48 PM

3 h ahead of Seattle, WA

🌤 Weather

👥 Population

737,015

43,511

💱 Currency

United States Dollar USD $

📈 Exchange rate

1 USD = 0.898 EUR

Exchange rates and currency converter

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Between locations

Seattle, WA Ashburn, VA 3,700 km ≈ 5 h nonstop flight

From you

Seattle, WA
Ashburn, VA

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City Median Internet Speeds Comparison (Updated April 2026)

The chart highlights the Precision Threshold for mobile and fixed broadband internet speeds, updated quarterly.

Digital Nomad Cost of Living Index

Seattle, WA vs Ashburn, VA: Cost of Living - Frequently Asked Questions

Seattle, WA and Ashburn, VA differ by about 14% in total monthly costs ($3,785 vs $3,317 including rent). Ashburn, VA is meaningfully more affordable – a gap that matters a lot on a fixed or modest income.

On paper, salaries run 14% lower in Seattle, WA. That’s worth factoring in alongside costs, though remote workers earning in a stronger currency may not notice the difference at all.

Rent for a central apartment: $2,508 in Seattle, WA versus $2,010 in Ashburn, VA. Housing is usually the single largest factor when comparing overall living costs between the two.

Childcare runs $2,746 in Seattle, WA versus $1,610 in Ashburn, VA. Over years of preschool, even a modest monthly gap compounds into a major financial factor for families.

Supermarket bills run roughly 12% higher in Seattle, WA. For households that cook at home regularly, that difference adds up over a month.

Both cities are expensive relative to $3,000. Ashburn, VA is the more realistic option, but even there you’ll need to be disciplined with housing, food, and fun money.

Both cities offer a good standard of living with different trade-offs. Neither is objectively better – the right pick depends on what matters most: affordability, career, cultural scene, or climate.

Expats usually find Ashburn, VA gentler on the wallet – expenses run 12% less than in Seattle, WA. Beyond cost, consider language, visa policies, and how big the international community is in each city.